‘Endorsing Icons’ give identity to ignored ones

Big black canvases of Faraz Ali portray the faces of those in society who play vital roles in our lives but remain unrecognized and unpublicized.

Syed Faraz Ali, a Karachi-based artist intends to give identity to unnoticed and unspoken people through his painting exhibition titled ‘Endorsing Icons’, which opened here at Nomad Art Gallery, Islamabad on Thursday. To give an identity to the working-class of Pakistan, the artist has painted the faces of servants, drivers, sweepers, carpenters and maids with whom he had interacted at some part of his life.

The graduate from Indus Valley School of Art and Architecture, Karachi explained that he was greatly inspired by the valuable services of the low-profile people in his surroundings. The paintings intend to recognize their importance in the society, as “the brutality of life and things around us are usually gone unnoticed and unspoken” the artist informed.

Yearning to bring out the true side of the society through his artwork, the artist said “my art has a perpetual craving of bringing the truth from the society that we live in. Unveiling the hidden identities of mankind, my artistry brings out the truth of the society, the aristocratic division of humanity.”

Using sandpaper and silk screen on canvas, the images give life to the hidden and long lost integrity living in the viciousness of two-faced society, while the black canvas is the optical illusion that carries the hidden meaning of human existence.

Describing the use of black colour to portray the hidden truth of the society, the artist said “black is not only a colour but is an area where one puts those parts and valuables of life that they keep hidden and buried from the eyes of the people around us.”

Out of 17 art pieces, 13 belonged to artist’s recent work to give identity to working-class while four were from the previous exhibition on political themes. The thought-provoking exhibition of the Karachi-based artist will remain open till 18 January from 10am-6:30pm.